By Christine Khamis
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia
SEOUL, South Korea –
North Korea has released and deported South Korean student Joo Won-moon after detaining him for six months. Mr. Joo was caught crossing the North Korea-China border in April and was arrested for what North Korea called a serious violation of its laws. Upon Mr. Joo’s release, North Korea stated that it deported him as a humanitarian measure.
On Monday, Mr. Joo was handed over to South Korean officials at Panmunjom, a village on the border of North and South Korea. The South Korean government has stated that its National Intelligence Service will investigate Mr. Joo’s act of crossing into North Korea. Mr. Joo’s crossing into North Korea was a violation of South Korea’s national security law, which forbids unapproved travel to the North.
Mr. Joo is a permanent citizen of the United States and attends New York University. At the time of his detainment, Mr. Joo was taking a semester off from NYU and had traveled to North Korea after trying unsuccessfully to find employment in California.
Mr. Joo states that he was treated well by North Korean officials during his detainment. He recently appeared in front of North Korean state media and gave a statement saying that he had not been allowed to contact his family but wanted them to know that he was healthy. In his media appearance, Mr. Joo also acknowledged that he had entered the country illegally and read from a speech praising North Korea and its government.
In an interview with CNN in May, Mr. Joo stated that he had hoped to improve relations between North and South Korea with his act of crossing the China-North Korea border. Mr. Joo told CNN that he had hoped that some great event would happen and that it would hopefully have a positive effect on the relationship between North and South Korea, but that he was not sure at the time what great event his actions could lead to.
North Korea currently has three other South Koreans detained for crimes of espionage. South Korea states that the charges against them are “groundless”. While South Korea welcomes Mr. Joo’s release, the South Korean Unification Ministry has called for North Korea to free the three detained South Koreans as well.
North Korea is also holding a Korean-Canadian pastor who has confessed to crimes aimed at overthrowing the state, according to North Korea’s state media.
North and South Korea came to an agreement in August to improve ties after a period of heightened conflict. One of their attempts at improving ties is to allow families separated since the Korean War to temporarily reunite with their family members later this month.
For more information, please see:
Associated Press – North Korea Releases Detained South Korean Student – 5 October 2015
CNN – North Korea Releases NYU Student – 5 October 2015
International Business Times – North Korea to Release Detained New York University Student – 5 October 2015
NPR – North Korea Releases Detained NYU Student to South Korea – 5 October 2015
New York Times – N.Y.U. Student Detained in North Korea Is Released, South Says – 5 October 2015
Reuters – North Korea Frees South Korean Student Held Since April — 5 October 2015
